For many students, this disconnect between the maths textbook and real life poses a significant barrier to engaging with maths, and despite the increased focus on encouraging kids into STEM fields of late, a four year study from the University of Newcastle found that students have a “dire” lack of interest in pursuing a maths-related career, with just eight of 6492 students stating they wanted to work in the field after finishing school.

Hoping to help students engage with maths by helping them relate it to real life is Australian startup Machinam. Founded by senior engineer Claire Bennett and civil engineers Jillian Kenny and Felicity Furey, the startup has created an app full of content that takes what students are learning in class and applies it to real world problems. Read more...